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A thought provoking start to 2016

For insight into the talent challenges facing businesses today and tomorrow, today’s blog is an edited excerpt from the Business Excellence interview with Anita Ziemer, Executive Director of Slade Group. Business Excellence is the publication of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a member of the Australian Chamber of Commerce.

A candidate who is a 70 per cent fit for a role is more effective than a perfect-on-paper candidate. “Bearing in mind that many things you learnt 10 years ago are now redundant and the majority of skills are learnt on the job, what’s important is how you’ve learnt and adapted,” Anita explains. “One of the partners at a top-tier law firm says he feels guilty inducting new graduates with the highest grades because he knows much of what they have learnt can be downloaded with the a click of a button in the form of ready-made contracts. Those applicants need to find new ways to add value; it’s about what you build around your job description that’s important,” she adds.

As degree-level qualifications become the norm, and job suitability is governed less by where you live or the schedule you work, soft skills become more important differentiators. Anita says: “We’re hearing from many organisations that graduates are theoretically and academically prepared, but face a big shock when it comes to managing their working day, which is why we like to see a range of part-time jobs on young people’s résumés.” She adds: “Businesses across all sectors are looking for employees who can use their intellect to join the dots, be creative and deliver value that cannot be outsourced.”

The role of a recruiter may have changed dramatically in the last 20 years as companies moved away from hiring homogenous groups of people. “The key qualities of a good hire almost never change in that No. 1 is being passionate about the role and No. 2 is sharing the values of the organisation,” says Slade Group’s Anita Ziemer. “But in this fast-changing environment, flexibility and adaptability are also very important traits,” she adds. “It’s out of date to say ‘that’s not my job’ or ‘that’s not how we do things around here’; you have to be able to work with ambiguity, within a fluid workplace and fluid job description.”

Technical operations, construction, education and healthcare employers are among those keeping Slade Group’s recruiters busy for the foreseeable future. Anita says nursing, a profession that requires nurturing skills, may be one of the more reliable occupations to be in and recruit for, while automation and the globalisation of the workforce is redefining the meaning of talent in many sectors. “It is still common for the education system to push students towards so-called middle-class security roles in accounting, medicine and the law, but much of that can be offshored,” she suggests. “So back-end accounting goes to the Philippines, low-level legal work goes to India and – it’s a scary thought – if a surgeon has conducted a routine procedure hundreds of times why does your operation need to happen in Australia?”

On the positive side for jobseekers who are able to upskill or cross-skill, new and more interesting roles can be created in this flux. Anita points out: “People talk about manufacturing flattening out but the flip side is that we’re seeing new roles in the bespoke side of the market. A tailored approach to manufacturing continues to be something that Australia and particularly Victoria does well, which is why to lose those manufacturing skills would be a tragedy.”

The prerequisite for all of today’s recruits is digital expertise, as revealed in the results of Slade Group’s Australian Digital Skills and Salary Survey 2015. Anita explains: “The survey of 150 organisations showed that rather than looking for single candidates with a broad digital skill set, employers are expecting all staff to have the digital expertise related to their role. While 70 per cent believe a digital skills gap is taking a moderate or heavy toll on their business, a quarter said they find it difficult to source digital employees and attribute this to a lack of talent.” The survey results also indicated, however, that internal human resources teams are ill-equipped to accurately assess the digital skills of applicants and are relying too heavily on existing employee feedback to identify areas requiring development.

Another core attribute of the ideal hire, says Anita, is a “broad view of the world”. Professional services firms in particular are placing increased emphasis on cross-cultural awareness and communication as the business world becomes borderless. “Not having a broad view of the world is why some academically successful employees find themselves confined to the backroom technology roles while those who can engage, network and create strong links climb the ladder,” she adds.

In contrast to popular representations of millennials as entitled narcissists, Anita insists aptitude for hard work is just as likely to exist in a twentysomething as a baby boomer. She says: “Some argue there’s a trend among millennials to expect reward and promotion almost immediately, but maybe that has always been the case and people just sucked it up because workplaces were so regimented and hierarchical.” She adds that employers should not beat themselves up when an employee in their 20s moves on after a year, but should nevertheless review the opportunities they offer for internal progression to meet the craving of today’s employees for lifelong learning.

Of course there is no single, correct approach to recruitment, as reflected in Slade Group’s own workforce of experienced recruitment consultants and sector specialists who have retrained for a second career in recruitment. The layers of candidate assessment undertaken by TRANSEARCH International, the Group’s executive search division, take into account far more than a job description can encapsulate to help businesses meet their future talent needs.

One of the key growth areas for the company is in temporary staffing, and Anita sees this trend as far from the nightmare painted by some social commentators who see us all becoming lonely, disenfranchised contractors. “Casualisation makes sense for both employers and employees, in that the former can work with fixed costs and employees can work across their portfolio of interests,” she says.

“About 15 years ago I remember broadcaster Phillip Adams talking about how by the end of the century the employment model will have flipped and 70 per cent of us will not be in full-time work, leaving society with the challenge of how to occupy its citizens,” she continues. “But while it’s likely that teams will look very different in the future than they do now, we’re still social animals and want to learn from each other – you only need to look at the growth of co-working.”

As for emerging occupations that businesses are expected to need recruitment support for, Anita says digital security looms large. “One of the great opportunities we see is in the technological dark arts, in that employers are going to want to hire the 22-year-old boffins who can hack their system and know how to test the integrity of software, but those are the people who fly under the radar and are hard to find,” she explains.

While employers are busy embedding innovation into day-to-day operations, a fresh perspective on the personalities and skill sets that your team needs to power its success is perhaps something that only an external recruiter can provide.

Anita says: “Experts say we’re still 40 years away from artificial intelligence in its truest form so the human overlay of recruitment experience is still much needed; an algorithm cannot do this yet.”

How to triage CV applications in the War for Talent

In his own way, the great Napoleonic surgeon Dominique Larrey has influenced the progress of your career! Over 200 years ago he halted the practice of treating ranked officers ahead of foot soldiers, and instead introduced the modern rule of triage of casualties; that is treating the wounded according to their level of injury and urgency for medical care. We’re saluting a long departed hero of another time and in a very different field, but whose legacy also affects us all. Read on and join the dots.

“Dominique Larrey knew that those with critical injuries would stand a good chance of survival if they were operated on within the first hour of their trauma occurring. Those with minor injuries were made to wait, while the more seriously injured were attended to. Those deemed to be mortally wounded were put aside, often with alcohol to comfort them until they passed away, whilst resources were concentrated on those who could survive.

This process of systematic evaluation became known as ‘triage’, a French word meaning ‘to sort’.

No one dared to question Larrey’s triage system for fear of being deemed aristocratic – a status that would almost certainly attract the attention of the dreaded Committee of Public Safety, the ruling council in Paris.”

Recruiters have to be adroit ‘sorters’ of CVs and we’ve taken a few tips from Larrey. It sounds harsh that sometimes the hours you’ve put into preparing a CV can be scanned and assessed in all of 10 seconds by a recruiter. But that is the task and fortunately we’ve moved well beyond previous prejudices that were blinkered by creed, culture and colour, the Queen’s English and postcodes.

So what is that we’re looking for in terms of (i) ‘Not for this job’, (ii) ‘Maybe for this job’ and (iii) ‘Yes, I want to meet’?

Every role is different, but here are some of the 10 fast-as-lightening assessments that have to be made in ‘the War for Talent’.

Triage Language: Won’t Survive. Slade Group: Not for this job

Too many moves
Once you’ve grown through your 20s, we’re looking for ‘stickability’. If you’re ‘out looking’ every one to two years in your 30s and 40s, then sadly your career is heading for the morgue.

Failed English
If you can’t spell, then use spellcheck, and if you can’t draw together a reasonable sentence, then getting ahead is going to be hard.

A President, a CEO and a journalist were in a room together…

On the last Wednesday in August, Slade Group hosted its annual Footy Lunch. As usual there were meaty titbits from Caroline Wilson and plenty of differences of opinions about teams most likely, players least likely and coaches unlikely.

As MC, Laurie Serafini fuelled some good natured debate, but when it came to matters of football governance, the guest speakers were in heated agreement. This year’s panel comprised Caroline Wilson, Chief Football writer for The Age, radio and TV commentator, and Walkley Award winning journalist; Peggy O’Neal, Richmond Club President; and David Stevenson, the Western Bulldogs’ newly appointed CEO.

It didn’t take long for the audience of senior business leaders to join the dots: the best performing football clubs are no different from the best performing organisations.

Just like non-sporting organisations, AFL clubs are taking a good hard look at themselves.

The panel sent packing the idea that old football stars make the best coaches. Plenty of us in business have found that star performers in the field or on the floor don’t necessarily make the best leaders and managers.

The panel laid down the fact that gender diversity leads to better performance – in clubs and non-sporting organisations alike. Taking the lead from David Stevenson, ex Senior Nike Executive now boss of the Bulldogs, there were some sighs from both men and women in the audience when David said he couldn’t believe, on returning to Australia, that gender inequity is still so evident Down Under.

And whilst there aren’t any teams with elephant or gazelle mascots, it’s these two animals that are often cited as being reflective of the two ends of the corporate spectrum; large global giants and smaller nimble organisations. There is a prevailing view that perhaps AFL House has become a bit of a lumbering elephant, whereas AFL clubs are responding to new ways of thinking much more quickly than the ‘parent company’ and in turn have much closer community alignment.

Our panel concluded the clubs are better champions for change than the AFL itself on a range of current issues. It seems the gazelle has trumped the elephant and those old bulls are a little slow when it comes to learning new tricks.

That’s our world@sport this week. What are the similarities and differences you see? We’d love to hear.

A call out to all the great Union Leaders! Who are you? Where are you?

In the June 20 edition of the UK Financial Times I read the third article that week covering the plight of Uber drivers. No one knows how their new ‘co-dependent employee’ label came about, but travelling across the US, UK and Europe, I could see a clearly accelerating legal discourse on the impact of the shared economy on the labour market. A week earlier, the plight of Silicon Valley wunderkinds and their concerns about being pawns in a race to the top between their masterful employers was all over the US media.

In contrast, the week I got back to Australia, Kathy Jackson and her blatant rorting of the Health Services Union was front and centre of the news.

What an extraordinary contrast in focus. The realities facing the new labour market vs the archaic model of traditional union operations.

We’re undoubtedly grateful for the past hardships endured by workers in their battles for better conditions and for the legacy value that Unions negotiated on our behalf such as the 8 hour work day. But where is the leadership thinking in Unions today?

The market is seemingly light years ahead and has left them behind. And what informs the union leadership of today? In fact, what is the profile of professionals employed by the unions? Where are the Bob Hawkes, the Rhodes scholars, the best and the brightest? Or is the fast pace of industry in this new century just so much more tantalising than old school union organisations? And given that the union movement has traditionally offered a vital pool of talent for future ALP candidates, what does that say about the forthcoming political talent on the left?

Step up union leaders! Re-create your relevance in a shared economy. The world has changed and so has the agile, flexible and fluid expectations of a large share of the labour market. Smart organisations and their employees, the strategists, academics, scientists, technology experts and educationalists are recreating the future world of work.

Are unions futilely fighting a rising tide, or can they spot a good swell and redirect their efforts in order to be relevant in the rapidly changing world of work?

What are implications for us in the new digital economy, if “Australian businesses lag behind US and UK in competitive digital skills,” as International Business Times says? Locally, a skills crunch is a threat. It’s confirmed by a report in The Australian. And addressing that skills gap will be a challenge.

We’re not making it easy for ourselves either. CMO Magazine highlights a common conundrum: “Australian employers under-invest in skill development even as they struggle to find talent.”

The recruitment and training industries concur. According to training.com.au, “Australian businesses are struggling to match digital business needs with adequately skilled employees.”

Who said the young are apathetic?

A certain Miss Tatiana Farley, 24 years of age, resident in Sydney, previously of Melbourne, sends out a Thought of The Day by 9.00am every day; a virtual early morning gift to nearly 1000 recipients. Some are straight up hilarious: “If you want to really know someone before you marry, set them in front of a computer with a very S L O W internet connection.”

Others are poignant and some are classic pearls of wisdom.

One in particular came through this week that showed how insightful and connected this group of early career, just out of university graduates really are. Inviting comments from her network, Tatiana posted the following:

“Today’s Thought of the Day comes courtesy of Matilda Hay who felt it was pertinent to Australia’s current political climate / life in general…”

“If you want to be popular all the time, you will misgovern.”
– Lee Kuan Yew

(Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH, commonly known by his initials LKY, was the first Prime Minister of Singapore, governing for three decades. He chose to step down in 1990 to ensure a stable leadership renewal.)

It’s exciting to think that coming through our doors for interview, being hired by us and our clients, are a bunch of ‘kids’ who may well watch Housewives of LA and follow Kim Kardashian on a slow Sunday afternoon, but are politically astute, open to voicing their observations and interested in both current affairs and the lessons of the past.

We rate hotels, restaurants and airlines. Why not our office towers?

Would it strike fear into the heart of developers and employers if we publicly rated the work spaces in which we spend so many waking hours? Rate My Office comes up with an architect’s survey form, but it doesn’t ask you to name your floor, your building or your city. Why not?

We’re not insisting on working in some Architectural Digest-worthy cool as Corbusier office, but let’s make a stand for a little more respect and improvement in work environments. Imagine a rating standard for the commercial building industry that’s more than energy efficiency related. What would you rate and how would you rate your office experience?

I’ve heard that a scathing restaurant review can bring down a chef, an entrepreneur and a charlatan in a single post. How would you rate your office building?

My rating systems would start off with something like this:

Lifts/Stairs
Are you able to access the fire stairs if you want to exercise, rather than take the lifts? Are the lifts smart lifts so you don’t have to waste time stopping at all floors?

Lobby
Are you proud to meet guests in the lobby?

Windows
Is there plenty of natural light and can you open a window?

En Plein Air
Is there a balcony/terrace/outdoor/green space you can easily access?

Noise
Is there good sound insulation for ambient noise inside and outside?

Accessibility
Easy access to public transport, ample car parking and disability access? Can you get out of hours access?

Green Space
Is there any green space in, above, surrounding, in view or nearby?

Green
Is the power generated by green energy or is it coal fired? Can different offices separate out their power usage? For example as I sit at my desk in my office on a Saturday, I notice the whole building’s air-conditioning is on. I certainly didn’t turn it on and I haven’t seen anyone else come or go. Can you open a window? Can you sit at your desk with natural light or do you have to turn on the power?

Services
Do you have concierge services such as dry cleaning, parcel drops offs, postage, food and beverage.

Lavatories
Are they clean, well maintained, well lit and safe?

Cleaning
Are the external windows regularly cleaned? Are the cleaning contractors paid award wages, are they the best providers? Are the common areas polished and well maintained?

Landlords
How would you rate the landlord or agent?

I’ll make a start.

Level 7, 15 William St Melbourne
On the tick side: good lobby, good access to services, disability access, reasonably green, clean lavatories, close by public transport, and good light. On the down-side: can’t use the fire stairs for everyday access, can’t open a window, there’s no green terrace or outdoor sunny spot.

Score out of 10? Probably 8.

If this worked, the army of Davids could outfox the Goliaths. The pressure placed on developers and building owners to meet the demands of tenants and employees, employers and office buyers would make for a better working environment.

I feel like singing from the roof top!

It’s interesting for an organisation to articulate its unique culture values. And it’s always a bit of argy bargy to settle on just four ‘cultural values’, or in plain English “the way we do things around here”.

Let me recall a planning meeting some eight years ago, and then you’ll understand why reading Lucy Kellaway’s article in the Financial Review on 14th October, made my day.

A dozen of us were moving picture cards around a boardroom table in a ‘Values and Attributes’ session. You know the drill, you whittle down 50 choices to twenty, ten then just four. Between ten and four, I retired hurt because I couldn’t get up the one critical value that I felt covered so many bases for this particular organisation. Clearly my persuasion and negotiation skills had failed me, and I also recognised that ‘Values’ (not in the general vernacular or in HR speak) are far less likely to make it as a final Organisational Value card.

So why the rejoicing when I read the Fin Review article? My word has finally become de rigueur. Conscientiousness. Happy days.

“Researchers at Washington University in St Louis have spent the last five years studying married couples, most of whom both work, and matching the success of each against five personality types: extraversion, openness, agreeableness, neuroticism and conscientiousness. They found that the last one – conscientiousness – had a large positive effect… the world belongs to conscientious people. They take out the rubbish, they make sure there’s food for supper, they turn up on time, they do what they’re meant to do, are reasonably motivated, good at planning and refusing to eat that marshmallow just now.”

The article covers both the personal and professional wins that conscientiousness delivers.

“On LinkedIn in Britain only 92,000 of its 15 million members admit to being conscientious. In contrast 12 million claim to have people skills – whatever those are. At the time of writing, EY was trying to hire a passionate IT forensics associate while JP Morgan wanted a passionate oversight and controls officer when they ought to have been looking for conscientious ones instead.”

Lucy argues that what is needed is a great re-branding of the trait and I agree. Conscientiousness is certainly not cool or sexy. Yet.